DefenseNews.comTanya Noury

U.S. completes withdrawal from al‑Asad airbase in Anbar, ending 20‑plus year American presence

Iraq said the U.S. has completed its withdrawal from al‑Asad airbase in Anbar province, ending a more than two‑decade American military presence in western Iraq. The departure closes a long‑standing chapter of U.S. operations from a strategic western hub established in the early 2000s.

AeroTimeClement Charpentreau

Czech PM Babis rejects transfer of L-159 light combat jets to Ukraine amid debate over drone threats

By AeroTime: Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis rules out selling or donating L-159 light combat jets to Ukraine to combat drones, rebuffing President Petr Pavel’s plan.

Also: Aviation Week and prm.ua
2026-01-19T06:04:23.260688-08:00
ga.com

GA‑ASI Demonstrates Autonomous Aerial Intercept with MQ‑20 Avenger Using Government Autonomy Software

By ga.com: In its latest demonstration of advanced autonomy development, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) successfully executed a mission autonomy flight using its MQ-20 Avenger® jet equipped with the latest government reference autonomy software.

2026-01-18T18:16:05.054826-08:00
FlightGlobalCraig Hoyle

Qinetiq wins five-year follow-on engineering support contract from UK Ministry of Defence for RAF Typhoon fleet

By FlightGlobal: Qinetiq has secured a five-year contract extension from the UK Ministry of Defence to provide "mission-critical engineering services" in support of the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) Eurofighter Typhoon fleet.

2026-01-19T07:27:33.012785-08:00
AeroTimeClement Charpentreau

Ukraine expands access to ICEYE SAR imagery as European partners deepen space-based ISR support

By AeroTime: Ukraine broadens access to ICEYE’s SAR satellite imagery for day-night, all-weather tactical intelligence as European partners deepen space-based ISR support.

2026-01-19T04:07:39.813552-08:00